Chase College of Law Magazine - Salmon P. Chase College of Law ...

FEATURE
Transactional law Practice Center Hosts Dustan mcCoy ’78
as Practitioner in Residence
bY mEGAN mcCARTY
hase’s Transactional Law Practice Center has developed a
practitioner in residence program that will allow accomplished
practitioners to share their experiences and insights about the
realities of transactional law practice with the students and faculty of
Chase.
Chase graduate Dustan McCoy ’78, chair and CEO of Brunswick
Corp., served as the TLPC’s first “Distinguished Practitioner in
Residence.” McCoy spent two days in March 2009 at the college of law
interacting with students and faculty in lectures, classes, workshops,
and small group discussions.
“Mr. McCoy has varied experience both in the legal field and in the
business world,” said TLPC director Sherry Porter. “His vast experiences
give him a great perspective on what skills lawyers need when they
leave law school and enter the legal or business fields. Plus, this was a
fabulous opportunity for our students to see what different job paths
one can take with a law degree from Chase,” Porter said.
Rhonda Schechter, a 2009 Chase graduate who attended McCoy’s
presentations while a student, took away an important message from
his visit: “It is not enough to know the law,” Schechter recalled. “One
must also truly understand a client’s business in order to be able to use
the law to best serve that client’s business needs.”
Kristin Walker, a second-year day student, found it especially
interesting to hear about McCoy’s switch from the “law side” of a
company to the “business side,” as well as his rise to the top.
“Just knowing that these successful lawyers have come from Chase
and have gone through the same experiences that we’ve gone through
really helps me realize that everything I am going through will be worth
it in the end,” Walker said. “These visits from practicing lawyers have
inspired me to want to do great things so that one day I can come back
Jonathan Collins, president of the Transactional Law Practice Group, presents
McCoy with a commemorative plaque.
to Chase and share my experiences with future lawyers as well.”
According to Porter, students who attended McCoy’s sessions
particularly enjoyed the “Ask a CEO” session, where they had the
opportunity to sit and chat, one on one, with the CEO of a publicly
traded company. “The students could ask him anything and he was
happy to answer,” Porter said.
DUSTAN E. mcCOY is chair and chief executive officer of Brunswick Corp. He previously served as
president of the Brunswick Boat Group. He joined Brunswick in 1999 as vice president, general counsel, and corporate
secretary. In addition to Brunswick’s board of directors, McCoy serves on the board of directors for both Louisiana-Pacific
Corp. and Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold, Inc. Prior to joining Brunswick, McCoy served as executive vice president
for Witco Corp., with operating responsibility for a variety of global businesses and functions. During his six years at
Witco, he also served as senior vice president, general counsel, and corporate secretary. His previous experience also
includes 15 years with Ashland Inc., where he served as associate general counsel with responsibility for the corporate law
department. He is a member of the Kentucky Bar Association. McCoy is a founding partner of Chase’s Transactional Law
Practice Center and is a member of the center’s board of advisors.
“ the time i spent at Chase in the practitioner in residence
program was the best organized, most productive,
and fulfilling contact with students i have experienced.
”
dUStAN McCOy
“The students participating in the practitioner in residence program
were keenly interested in having a meaningful dialogue going well
beyond the classroom experience,” McCoy said. “They came to each
session well informed and knowledgeable about my experience and
were prepared with questions, comments, and discussion points to
ensure our time together provided them with information and insights.”
McCoy also delivered a presentation to Chase students on “What
Business People Look for in Attorneys,” which focused on the skills and
knowledge that business leaders are looking for when hiring attorneys
to handle their legal matters.
“Each of us has had our careers and skills shaped by contact with
experienced attorneys,” McCoy said. “Sharing experiences and learning
gained from working every day in our profession is an unspoken
obligation we have to those coming after us. Having the opportunity to
do so in a structured environment with law students is unique for the
practitioner and important to the growth of the students.”
In addition to holding lectures and workshops, McCoy also had
breakfast with students to talk in a more relaxed setting and attended
McCoy answers students’ questions at a
workshop titled “Ask the CEO.”
McCoy talks with students at the student
breakfast reception.
a dinner in his honor with faculty, students, alumni, and local business
leaders.
Porter said that having McCoy as the inaugural practioner in
residence was an “incredible success” because he was able to speak
with so many students, faculty, alumni, and business leaders about his
experiences as well as how the TLPC will prepare Chase students to be
the next generation of practicing lawyers and business leaders.
Brian Bayes, a 2009 Chase graduate who has known McCoy for
several years, also felt the visit was very beneficial. “His presentations
showed exactly how demanding his position was – the troubles in
running a company in a disastrous market, having to decide on layoffs,
and how to still find time to enjoy your family,” Bayes said. “I learned
from watching him that one of the keys to success is being humble and
appreciative of what life brings to you.”
“I have had the opportunity over the years to participate in many
activities with students,” McCoy said. “The time I spent at Chase in
the practitioner in residence program was the best organized, most
productive, and fulfilling contact with students I have experienced.”
McCoy delivered a lunch presentation to the
Chase faculty titled “Corporate Ethics:
A CEO’s Perspective.”
6 NKU CHASE LAWYER
SPRING 2010 7
FEATURE